Toad Sannin Rising
by CheesecakefromMars
Summary: Jiraiya's entire world shatters when his godson is left orphaned the night of the Kyuubi attack. The world just seems to be taking away his happiness time after time, but there is still a spark left. He has Naruto. And he will protect him. Through any means necessary. As the world tries to destroy him, Jiraiya fights back. No pairings.
1. Prologue

**Toad Sannin Rising.**

 **Prologue.**

 **Souther Hi no Kuni**

"Jiraiya, what the fuck."

"Hey, Tsunade. Still drinking yourself to sleep, I see."

"How did you track me down?"

Jiraiya laughed.

"Pfft, spymaster, remember?"

Tsunade just shook her head.

"Why are you here?"

"What, I can't just drop by for a chat?"

"Get to the point, Jiraiya."

"Fine. Minato and Kushina are dead."

Tsunade's eyes widened.

"What, how?!"

"You know she was due a week ago. We called you to help us. You didn't show up."

"You didn't need me."

"The Kyuubi escaped when their child was delivered."

Silence.

"Minato died sealing the kyuubi into his own son. Kushina died helping him. Naruto is with sensei right now. Much of the village is destroyed."

"Well, fuck."

"Yes, Tsunade, fuck. Fuck it all. This could have been prevented if you had been there. Why weren't you?"

"I told you I'm never going back to the village."

"I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN TO THE SAME OLD SHIT, TSUNADE!"

Tsunade recoiled. She had never seen Jiraiya this angry.

He was angry. He was hurt. He was not going to take it out on her.

"Don't presume I'm just going to sit here while you blame your mistakes on me. You were supposed to protect your godson. Not me. You weren't in the village either."

Jiraiya looked up, and she was alarmed by the expression on his face. To think that Jiraiya, the person who loved her always, could look at her with such hatred, she had never thought it possible.

"Yes, I wasn't. There's a reason I wasn't. But trying to reason with a coward like you is useless. You're a useless drunk who can't get past her mistakes, Tsunade."

Tsunade got up. She cocked her hand faster than most shinobi could see.

Jiraiya was not most shinobi.

He caught that punch.

Tsunade's eyes were wider than saucers.

"This is goodbye, Tsunade. I don't care anymore. Fuck you. I'm not going to give up like you did. I'm not going to shit on the memory of the people who loved me. I'm going to make sure my godson lives the life he deserved to."

He pushed her back and she slammed into the wall.

He was gone the next second.

He was going to give Naruto a good life.

He was his godfather.

He was going to protect him, any way he could.

. . . . . . .

 **4 months later**

 **Myobokuzan**

"You're here after a long time, Jiraiya-Chan. What brings you to Myobokuzan?"

"Things in the village have been getting better. They're stable enough that they don't need me to be on high alert all the time. Naruto is safe at Sarutobi-sensei's house. Biwako, praise the gods, survived the attack. She'll take care of him. She and sensei will wholeheartedly take care of him. They loved Minato as much as I did."

"That's good to hear. When are you going to bring little Naru-chan here?"

"No idea. Probably when he has grown a bit. I, whoever, will be here for some time."

"Oh? Why is that, Jiraiya-chan?"

"I'm going to complete my Sage Mode."

The frogs smiled widely.

"Finally. I thought you were going to rely on us forever."

Jiraiya looked away, and closed his eyes.

"Orochimaru is still out there, and who knows how many other threats? I'm going to grow strong enough to protect Naruto. Tsunade has given up. She isn't what she once was. If you can, please ask Katsuyu to talk to her. She always had a soft spot for that damn slug."

"Are you going to go chase Oro-baka to the ends of the earth again?"

"No. It's time for me to stop regretting past actions, and do what is right. Orochimaru was my responsibility, and he still is. It's past time to put an end to my old friend."

"Well then, to the Toad Oil reservoir, I assume?"

Jiraiya nodded.

. . . . . . .

 **Well, that's the prologue done. This story is going to basically be a Jiraiya Resurgence novel. Very heavy espionage and mature themes. Jiraiya is a spy. That part of his job is always underused in fanfiction. Hell, it was underused in the original series.**

 **With that, I'll take my leave. Please Review!**

 **Cheesecake out.**


	2. Methods that work

**A year later**

 **Takigakure border**

He was running through the trees, his panicked breath and heartbeat the only things he heard. He had numerous cuts across his back and arms, and his right leg sported a limp. He still didn't stop.

After all, he was running for his life.

"Shit shit shit shit shit shit! What am I supposed to do? A shinobi of his calibre, he could easily catch up!" he thought hurriedly.

He took off his red jacket, tearing it apart, and catching hold of the extremely small scroll hidden inside. He hesitated, wondering if he was ready for this last resort. After all, he would die if he did this. He had family back home, just a kid. What would he do without him?

But the mission came first. He was about to activate the scroll.

Until his hand was cleanly cut off by a huge sword.

He cried out in pain, and turned to his right to look at the man who had destroyed his entire team, and pursued him down.

The image of long white hair and the kanji for oil was what he saw before he blacked out.

. . . . . . . . .

 **Konoha Anbu Headquarters**

 **Interrogation Unit**

 **Cell 14**

"Thanks for the info, jackass." Ibiki walked out of the cell.

He was wearing his usual trench coat and bandana, and he had a completely professional expression on his face right now. This could not be said about his colleague, who was smiling sadistically. She was wearing a beige trench coat over a fishnet armour, and her hair was tied up in a bun.

"That was hot as fuck."

"Thank you, Mitarashi."

"We still up for tonight?"

"Yep."

"Cool. I'll see you later. Or we could do the blindfold again."

She grinned slyly and sunshin-ed away.

Ibiki started walking to the Hokage's office. He was extremely pleased with the amount of extremely crucial information that Jiraiya-sama's captures had bought Konoha. The intel on other villages activities was very useful.

He knocked.

"Come in."

Ibiki opened the door and walked into the office. The Hokage was sitting at this desk, smoking his pipe. Jiraiya was leaning on the wall next to the Hokage portraits, his visage intimidating.

"Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama. I've bought the report of the info gleamed from the missing-nin. He was easy to break. Fun as well, if I may say so." He grinned.

"Well done, Ibiki. Please leave the file here, and I would also like a verbal report." the Hokage ordered.

Ibiki nodded.

"Our suspicions were correct. Orochimaru is gathering missing- nin to his cause. He is looking to create a new ninja village. This prisoner was on his way to Ta no Kuni (Land of Rice Fields), where they were told to gather."

"Why does Orochimaru suddenly need a village at his command? He always wanted to be Kage, but I had thought he was too entangled in his pursuit of immortality." Jiraiya said suspiciously.

"My wayward student was always fond of biting off more than he can chew. And tangling in Ta no Kuni, so close to Iwagakure's trade route? He's playing with fire." the Hokage said serenely. "Very well. Ibiki, dismissed. You may retire for the night. Report here tomorrow at 10 am, sharp."

Ibiki bowed and walked out the door.

"What do you propose we do, Sensei?"

"For now? Nothing."

"Why? It would be prudent to end Orochimaru's ambitions once and for all. We have allowed him free reign for far too long."

"He isn't a threat to the village currently, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya scoffed.

"He will always be a threat to the village, Sensei. I propose we take him out right now. I will infiltrate Ta no Kuni and find more detailed info. If the opportunity presents itself, I'll take care of Orochimaru too."

"You have grown much, Jiraiya. Much stronger than me. But is it wise to charge straight into Orochimaru's den?"

"I'm not charging in, Sensei. Seriously, why do people keep forgetting that my speciality is espionage?"

"You're too bright to be a spy."

"I know. Enemies think so too."

. . . . . . . .

 **2 hours later**

 **Unknown location**

"Call Danzo. I'd like to speak to him. Tell him Jiraiya is here."

10 minutes later, Danzo blurred into the clearing, flanked by two guards with the Konoha headband, but with a line below the swirly leaf.

"Jiraiya of the Sannin. To what do I owe the pleasure? Back in the village after a long time, and you come to the visit me?"

"Nice to see you too, you old buffoon. I've come to talk."

"I haven't touched your godson."

Jiraiya nodded.

"I know. Thank you for that. Sincerely. But I've come to talk about more serious matters."

"You're welcome. Go ahead."

"Information we've found indicates that Orochimaru is looking to build a new hidden village in Ta no Kuni."

Danzo said nothing.

"You already know this. You probably already know this, but Sensei is once again, preaching inaction."

Danzo bristled.

"I, however, would like to put an end to my old teammate once and for all. Before he somehow achieves immortality. I know he is knowledgeable enough to one day do so. That would be a bad day for Konoha."

"What is your point, Jiraiya?"

"We may have differences, but we both want the same thing. To ensure that Konoha stays safe. You hate Iwa, I hate Orochimaru. The latter is currently mingling in business too close to Iwa. If only Iwa were to catch on to it…" he let the implication stay.

Danzo almost smiled.

"What do you propose?"

"Iwa has always been closely aligned to Ta No Kuni. It is an extremely important trade route for their mineral business that connects to Kumogakure. I want to get the rumour mill running in Iwa. Let them know Orochimaru is fucking around near their territory. The Fence Sitter (Ohnoki, the yondaime Tsuchikage) has always been one to act too brashly. He will immediately try to take down Orochimaru. Let's hope he succeeds, while getting rid of the old snake, he also weakens his forces, since Orochimaru isn't someone who's going to go down easily."

Danzo smiled this time.

"You could have easily done this yourself. Why come to me?"

"I'm needed elsewhere. But this must be done now. Iwa and Orochimaru are the most immediate threats to Konoha. We both know taking them out is the easiest way to keep our village safe. I am not going to wallow around anymore, you know this. Anything to keep Naruto safe. Even if he has never met me. I am content knowing that he's safe."

"Very well. But are you willing to go behind Hiruzen's back?"

"Hn. Of course. I respect Sensei, but he is too pacifistic. That isn't going to help us. Ohnoki and A aren't going to sit down chilling in their villages. I don't agree with you either, you're too militaristic. We need a balance, and you two are too busy squabbling between yourselves. I'm going to take care of Konoha, in the shade or in the sun. It would be easier if you and sensei just buried the hatchet and worked together."

Danzo nodded and blurred away.

"I'll take care of the plan in Iwa."

Jiraiya nodded in reply.

He wasn't happy with this method, but he didn't have to be. He was a spy.

More importantly, he was a ninja.

They were taught to be cutthroat.

. . . . . . . .

Danzo sat in his office in Root Headquarters with his chin resting on his hands, silently contemplating. He was glad that Jiraiya had turned around his life. If only because of his godson, Jiraiya had turned into possibly Konoha's best ninja ever.

His strategy to take down Orochimaru was a good one. Plus it weakened Iwa. Which was always welcome.

He would follow Jiraiya's plan.

Two birds with one stone.

"Oh, Jiraiya, you might just be the one who helps Konoha stay at the top. For now, I plan to help."

. . . . . .

 **Here's chapter 2. The way Danzo is portrayed in most fanfics usually pisses me off. His intentions are always evil, and he always wants to fuck Naruto over. Why would he ever do that? Naruto is Konoha's freaking Jinchuriki. Danzo is a militaristic person, but he isn't a stupid one. Hiruzen was always content leaving the dirty work to Danzo. Jiraiya isn't some headstrong idiot in this fic. He's going to think about his actions and play the game like it's supposed to be played.**


	3. First Author's Note

**Author's note:**

 **Review Replies:**

 _Cmedina1_

Do not worry, my child, Jiraiya has his own plans for Danzo.

. . .

 _Reply to Guest review_

No, Jiraiya's ideology hasn't fully changed. He still wants peace. Here, however, his primary concern will always be Naruto's safety. And no, Jiraiya is not going to raise Naruto. In my fic, Biwako (Hiruzen's wife) didn't die the night of the Kyuubi attack. Naruto will grow up with the Sarutobi family's support and love. Like he should have in canon. Jiraiya will do what he is said to have done in canon, protect Naruto from external threats to the village. He will be the master spy he was said to have been. He is taking his shinobi, or rather, his godfather duties seriously. This will be a more serious Jiraiya, but we still see flashes of his goofy side, which I love by the way. I loved the grandfather role he played in Naruto's life.

And no, there won't be a civilian fucking council. It's a fucking ninja village, goddammit. The civilian council is just something fanfics made up to torment naruto and banish him. The elders were extremely minor characters in canon. For some reason the the entirety of Konoha except some people are shown as dicks in most fics. This is going to be a very grounded story. No bashing. It's going to be very realistic, at least as realistic as can be in the Narutoverse.

 **Until next time, Cheesecake out.**


	4. Selfish Help

**Flashback**

 **Meeting with Elder Shimura**

"I'll take care of the plan in Iwa."

Jiraiya nodded.

The retreating root shinobi never noticed a toad run back into the clearing and hand Jiraiya a scroll. Jiraiya nodding was it's cue to come in.

It had succeeded in getting the information.

"Now to put the plan into action." Jiraiya thought as the toad poofed away.

A ghost of a smile etched his face as he vanished towards the Hokage's office.

 **2 months later**

 **Amegakure**

 **Akatsuki hideout**

"Nagato, once again, we should go through with it today!"

"Yahiko. We aren't ready."

"Bullshit. Our man on the inside says Hanzo has fallen ill. This is an extremely opportune time to strike."

Nagato sighed.

"Konan, what say you?" Yahiko turned to her, hoping for an ally.

Konan bristled.

"Very well. We need to make a decision fast. Sorry Nagato, but I agree with him. Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village) has suffered for too long. We should strike, hard and fast."

Yahiko grinned.

Nagato sighed again.

"Very well. I have been overruled. I do not agree, but I will go through with you till the end."

Yahiko pumped his fist, "Hell yeah! The three of us can take down anything!"

"Four of us" said a voice out of nowhere.

The Amegakure trio was instantly on alert.

A second later, Jiraiya of the Sannin was leaning on a wall, grinning.

Their eyes widened.

Then Yahiko gave out a big whoop.

"SENSEI! WHAT THE FUCK?! IT'S BEEN SO LONG!"

Konan was still dumbfounded.

Slowly, she grinned along with Jiraiya and Yahiko.

"Now, let's get to work, shall we, my cute students?"

"Of course! Now that we have your help, we can do anything!"

"Wait. How do we even know you're Jiraiya?" Nagato said, still ready to defend himself.

Jiraiya smiled. "Good. Never trust someone blindly. By the way, do you still have the book I lent you? You said you'd take care of it."

Nagato finally relaxed, and gave him one of his rare grins.

"Hello, Sensei. Not that we don't want your help, but why are you suddenly here?"

"Hanzo has been a tyrant here for too long. He is an able shinobi, but a poor ruler. I cannot just let my students do everything by themselves, can I? Plus, I won't be there with you during combat."

Their smiles faded a bit.

"What do you mean? We were going to strike today."

"I know. I'm here to give you information. Hanzo is not sick. Your informant has been bribed. I've been canvassing his stronghold for 24 hours. Also, Danzo Shimura of Konohagakure is in partnership with Hanzo. He wanted to bait you out."

"What? Konoha?! Why is your village helping Hanzo, sensei?!" Yahiko shouted, rage evident in his eyes.

"Not Konoha. Danzo. The man has held leeway for too long. However, I have managed to strike a deal with him, which has made him split his forces, half of which are currently operating near Iwa. Danzo is here, in Amegakure. He has probably added around 150 well trained shinobi to Hanzo's forces."

"What? None of this is good news, Sensei." Nagato said, his face worried.

"I never said I wasn't doing anything, Nagato. I just said I wasn't joining you."

Jiraiya grinned at their confused faces.

"Danzo is here, away from the village, away from the protection that being an elder grants him. Danzo is the most prominent threat to the peace the elemental nations have right now. However, I won't lie. My more prominent reasons are more selfish. Danzo Shimura is also the threat closest to my godson, who he has wanted for reasons I shall make more clear later. I intend to take him out. Anything to keep Naruto safe. Even killing one of our elders.'

"But won't they punish you for killing a Konoha shinobi?"

"It was just some random missing nin that did it, Yahiko. Jiraiya of the Sannin is on an official A-rank mission to the Kaze no Kuni right now."

All of them grinned.

"So, here's the plan. It doesn't change much for you guys."

 **Elder Shimura's temporary quarters**

 **Hanzo's stronghold**

 **Amegakure**

Danzo was patiently waiting for the attack by Akatsuki. He looked out the window, his perfect poker face on as always, waiting for Hanzo's signal for them to attack. Fuu and Torune were hidden outside the room as protection. Fuu was the best sensor in the Hidden Leaf, not counting Jiraiya's sage mode, but even Danzo didn't fully know how that worked. Torune was the pride of root, a perfect ninja, armed with the deadly purple insects very few could control. The rest of his platoon were directly below Danzo, ready to go.

Now to wait for Hanzo's signal.

They suddenly heard a loud Salamander roar.

Okay, guess this was the signal.

"Fuu, Torune, Formation V, move out! I shall carry out plan Top of the Top!"

"Hai, Commander!"

With that, his entire platoon except two went to the frontlines, while him and two ration specialists vanished to the roof.

"Santiago, Peralta, Assault V."

"Hai!"

With that, Danzo lifted his hand to uncover his Shisui's sharingan, before his hand was promptly cut off.

"WHAT?"

He turned around.

There stood a masked individual with a huge broadsword. Red hooded jacket and the kanji for oil on the mask. No eye sockets, no breathing room.

"Who…" he stammered out as he bled out. If only he had went through the surgery before this, he could have used Izanagi, fuck. He still had Shisui's sharingan. He could do something, someone, wait! Peralta and Santiago! He looked around, half blind from pain.

Dead.

Danzo chuckled.

"So this is how *cough* I die? I guess I shouldn't *cough* have made it easy…by leaving the village…"

"No. That would have been easier, Elder Shimura."

"Do you *cough* really think, I had no failsafes?"

All the Root shinobi instantly materialized on the roof.

"I'm…quite good at fuinjutsu too…Jiraiya."

The masked figure just stood still, broadsword at his side.

"Root, I give you a final *cough* mission before I die. Kill this man if my suicide jutsu somehow doesn't kill everyone."

He promptly exploded, taking the roof, no, the building, with him.

The root shinobi in the vicinity had died with their master, leaving no trace of their existence.

The masked man blurred into existence in front of Hanzo of the Salamander, who was shell locked at his backup being taken care of in a matter of minutes.

"Who are you?!"he snarled.

The Ame trio smiled.

The masked figure just stood still, broadsword at his side.

"Well, I'm definitely not Jiraiya of the Sannin."

Hanzo proclaimed combat with a roar of anger, prompting the shell shocked forces of Ame into attack.

"My little students, I leave Hanzo to you. This is your fight. I'll leave you a present though."

He vanished, reappearing in front of the Ame army.

"Halt." he said with an icy tone.

They actually stopped.

"Thanks."

"Follow the three locked in combat with your master, or follow your current master, who has bought nothing but cold dictatorship and a lifeless existence for your people. Go back to your families and stay safe. Anyone who leaves will be forgiven and given a place in the newly formed Amegakure, which will prosper under the Akatsuki. You will have freedom to do trade, visit your relatives outside, like any other village. You will live. With freedom. Anyone who stays, well, be ready for combat. However, I do not think any more innocent blood needs to be spilled. You are all afraid of the tyrant that Hanzo has become, and if you want a fair and good life, you will follow Yahiko, leader of the Akatsuki, who I guarantee will be a just ruler. Today, leave for the chance at a better life! It's upto you!"

"YOU MAGGOTS! THE ONE WHO LEAVES DIES!"

His army turned to him and dropped their weapons.

"YOU…YOU DARE? TURNCLOAKS! TRAITORS!"

He pounced towards his own people.

He was violently thrown back when Yahiko jumped in, delivering a shattering punch to his midsection.

KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU! (Summoning Jutsu)

The battle between the Akatsuki and Hanzo of the Salamander had begun.

Jiraiya vanished. His students would take care of this. He believed in them.

Because even after all that had happened, Jiraiya was still the sentimental, dramatic old man inside.

Back to Konoha, he mused.

Perhaps he could spend a day watching Naruto.

He sensed his Kokei Bunshin (Calibre Clone technique) on it's way back from Kaze no Kuni.

Guess the A-rank was done too.

Boy, he was good.

He couldn't wait to tell Sensei about this.

 **Boy, that was a long chapter.**

 **In canon, literally EVERYONE knows Danzo is a threat. Nobody does shit. Well, not this Jiraiya. He's taken care of Danzo. Or so he thinks. Amegakure is free of Hanzo, and Yahiko is alive. This is going to turn into a large AU, that I'm aware some people don't like, but it is what it is. I am aware I'm playing with the timeline a bit here, but oh well. Gotta do what you gotta do.**

 **All reviews appreciated.**

 **Cheesecake out.**


	5. The Toad's Tongue

**A week after Elder Shimura's reported death**

 **Memorial Stone**

 **Konohagakure**

Hiruzen and his teammates stood in silence in front of the stone, respecting their now passed comrade. Koharu and Homura had been briefed on the situation, as had the Jounin Commander Shikaku Nara and Anbu Commander Virgo. The Elders had wondered what this would do to village morale, since nobody knew what Danzo was doing in Amegakure. He had informed no one.

"Hiruzen, any word from Jiraiya's mission to spy on the Akatsuki?"

"Yes. But we should talk about this back in my office. Shikaku and Virgo need to understand this as well. All of us in the command hierarchy need to know this. Meet me in precisely an hour."

His teammates nodded and shunshin-ed away.

The Third Hokage sighed, downcast.

 **Flashback**

"Jiraiya, any news about exactly HOW one of our elders is dead?" Hiruzen asked, his spirits down.

Jiraiya nodded.

"A group called Akatsuki has defeated Hanzo of the Salamander, and the people are heralding them as heroes. Hanzo was not loved by his citizens. Danzo...He was in Amegakure. He had ANBU with him. Helping Hanzo. Care to tell me what that's all about, Sensei?"

"ROOT. He didn't disband it all those years ago." Hiruzen answered.

"You knew about this? Goddammit, sensei, do you know what this does to Konoha's reputation? One of our elders, helping a tyrant defeat three freedom fighters."

"That doesn't matter anymore. Tell me how he died."

Jiraiya sighed.

"Nobody actually knows. He was identified by Hanzo when he came on to the battlefield, which is how I got this info. Soldiers remember what their commander says. Always. He fought in the ensuing clash, and triggered a suicide fuinjutsu when he was close to dying. Blew up half the fortress."

Hiruzen looked towards the village.

He had lost an old friend and rival. How long was he going to have to stay strong?

For the village.

Perhaps he shouldn't have taken up the hat again.

He sighed and got up.

For now, he would persevere.

"Very well. What has happened has happened. Let's move. We need to let the others know of the situation in Ame. Hanzo is dead. Danzo's root division is over."

"Not quite. Half of his forces are in Ta no Kuni."

"What? Why?"

"I do not know. It was just lucky one of my informers is great at recognizing Anbu. But we must capture some of them. We need the info. Why was Danzo poking around near Iwa? Trying to get the warhorns beating again?"

"It just gets worse and worse. Danzo, what were you up to, old friend?"

 **Flashback end**

Jiraiya sat in his safehouse, that nobody knew the location of.

Not even the writer.

He was lying on a bed, wearing a white tank top and red pants.

He did not like lying to Sensei.

He kept telling himself it was necessary. That Danzo was a threat. Which he was.

Sensei wasn't going to look past their old friendship. He was going to hold on to hope that someday the old Shimura Danzo could be glimpsed again.

It was folly. He had held on to that hope with Orochimaru for a long time, and it had bought him nothing but pain.

Sometimes, you need to cut off diseased bonds.

So the good ones don't have to suffer.

He sat up and looked at the old picture on the wall. Him, Tsunade, Orochimaru and Hiruzen.

Those were good days.

Too far gone, sadly.

His best friend was too far gone.

He didn't think his best friend was even alive anymore.

What was left was an empty shell of existence.

An existence fueled by knowledge and power, without love.

Undoubtedly, he would run into him again. Both of them.

Orochimaru's outcome he was sure of.

Tsunade, he had no idea.

He hoped she was all right.

Always.

. . . . . . . . .

 **So, here goes. Pretty short, but I felt this was the right place to end it. Yep, Jiraiya has expertly double crossed the entirety of the Leaf. What will happen when Shikaku Nara hears his story though?**

 **We'll just have to wait and find out now, won't we?**

 **Cheesecake out.**


	6. Love, War and Trust

**Toad Sannin Rising**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Konohagakure no Sato**

 **Sarutobi Mansion**

"Ah, come in, Jiraiya – san."

Jiraiya walked in, his imposing figure contradicted by his huge grin.

"Biwako, the next time you call me -san, I'll steal your collection of cutlery. You know I could do it, easily."

Biwako chuckled.

"Hah. Funny as always, Jiraiya."

She patted him on the back, but then held his shoulder tightly. She looked crazed.

"If you ever threaten my cutlery again, I'll castrate you."

Jiraiya gulped.

"Of…of course."

She smiled, her demeanor completely changing.

"Now, let's go see little Naruto, shall we?"

"Hm." Jiraiya nodded happily.

They walked up the stairs and into what Jiraiya recognized as Asuma's old bedroom. Inside was a cot and a reasonable number of toys. Jiraiya peered in, and saw an extremely cute baby sleeping soundly.

"Naruto…"

Jiraiya couldn't stop welling up.

This was his godson. Alive, well, and sleeping contently.

He was doing his duty well so far.

Biwako gently picked Naruto up and handed him to Jiraiya.

"He's a very strong sleeper, isn't he?"

"That he is. He gives me no trouble at all." Biwako smiled.

Jiraiya looked at her with wet eyes.

"Thank you, for taking care of him."

Biwako just nodded and grinned.

"I couldn't really leave him with you, could I? He'd be addicted to Dango."

Jiraiya smiled too.

"Yes, I would have been guilty of that."

He looked down and gasped.

Naruto was holding on to his finger.

They stayed like this for a while, neither willing to let go.

"Biwako, I have a present for him. Maybe he'll remember me. I won't be able to visit as much, probably between years." He took out a green box.

Inside was an orange toy toad with yellow twirls on his cheek. Lying next to it was a baby sized sweater, with the kanji for oil on it.

"I'm sure he'll love it. Why the kanji for oil, though?"

"The toads send their regards and their love." Jiraiya said.

"Hm. Monkeys are cooler, Jiraiya."

"If you raise him to be a monkey fan I'll destroy that purple plate you love."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"Shhh…you'll wake him up!"

Biwako just glared at him.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

 **Konohagakure no Sato**

 **Nara compound**

Jiraiya walked through the Nara compound, heading for Shikaku's house. These infernal Nara's, entire compound looked the fucking same. Too lazy to add personalization, obviously. He thanked the Lord that he had been here before. The compound looked the same even before the Kyuubi attack. Damn Naras, just reused the old blueprints. He had even heard about a Nara who had slept through the entire attack, realizing later that the house next to his was destroyed.

He knocked on the door of Shikaku's house. No response.

He knocked again. No response.

He knocked and knocked and knocked and knocked.

No response.

A vein was pulsing on Jiraiya's forehead, since he knew Shikaku was home. He could sense him.

He was just about to barge in, when Shikaku opened the door, yawning.

"You knew I was waiting outside, didn't you? Why did it take you so long?" Jiraiya said irritably.

Shikaku just shrugged and nodded to follow him inside.

Jiraiya let out a deep breath.

"I'm going to go crazy in there" he thought.

Shikaku turned to walk towards his garden.

Jiraiya just shrugged and followed.

"My son is sleeping inside. Hence the garden."

"No worries, Pineapple."

Shikaku's eye twitched.

"Why are you here, Jiraiya?"

"Danzo's dead."

"I know, you white haired toad, I'm the Jonin Commander."

It was Jiraiya's turn to twitch.

"I know, you lazy fruit."

"So what is it?"

"I indirectly caused it."

Shikaku's eyes widened.

"What?"

"I manipulated him and helped the Akatsuki. He was too much of a threat to let roam free. I decided to let you know. You deserved to know, especially after all that shit he pulled to try to get your son."

Shikaku gave him a pointed look, his face completely serious now.

The corners of Jiraiya's mouth twitched.

"Okay, I decided to tell you because I knew you'd figure it out yourself."

"Hn. I don't approve of this."

He smiled.

"But thank you."

Jiraiya nodded.

"I'll take my leave. I'm trusting you with this, Shikaku."

"You have my word."

With that, Jiraiya shunshined out.

With the conversation over, a snake slithered back into its hole, and promptly vanished in a puff of smoke.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 **2 days later**

 **Ta no Kuni**

 **Root Alpha Platoon hideout**

Senzao was getting mildly worried.

He hadn't heard from the Commander in a very long time. Exactly how long were they going to stalk the Iwa - Ta no Kuni border in complete stealth? Their mission was to be on the lookout for any strange incidents. What was all this for?

No, it wasn't his place to question the Commander's orders.

Him and his team would wait, for as long as needed.

"Captain Senzao, someone just breached the barrier."

"Formation Stigma."

"Hai!" They immediately dispersed.

He looked around the underground bunker they had built, and nodded slightly. He pushed his hands into a strange seal, and focused his senses. He was a born sensor.

No one was going to hide from him.

A few seconds later, his eyes widened.

"What is this insane chakra?!" he thought.

"Team, get back here right now! We need to stick together!"

"Hai!"

"Hai!"

"Hai!"

A few seconds later, they were all back.

"Now, this chakra is extremely powerful. It's looking for us. We have a minute, maybe, to get ready. All of you, keep your chakra suppression seals at the ready. This person has an insane amount of chakra, more than all of us combined. We'll take that advantage out."

"Hai!" all of them chorused.

"Not a bad plan at all. Unfortunately, it's useless now that I know about it."

He was on them in a second.

They were ready.

"Release!" Senzao shouted, making a hand seal.

The ground immediately burst out, and they were all launched into the air, through the thin layer of rock over them.

Out in the light, they noticed a large mane of white hair.

"Is that who I think it is?"

Jiraiya smirked.

"That was a great air pocket seal, ROOT ninja!" Jiraiya said, and summoned his huge broadsword while in the air. Falling down, he slammed the sword into the ground, making spikes sprout out.

The still falling root ninja had to carefully track their landing. They landed and went through hand seals in perfect coordination.

"COMBO JUTSU: SEQUENCE 5!"

A huge fireball was then hurled at Jiraiya, a wind jutsu in tandem.

Jiraiya sunshined out of the way and grinned, looking at the ROOT ninja in perfect formation.

"Seriously? Sequence 5? Even your jutsu names are boring."

"What are you doing here, attacking fellow Konoha ninja?!"

"Cleaning house."

He reappeared behind them and slashed.

While they dodged, he skimmed through hand seals.

"DOTON: GREATER MUD GOLEM!"

"KATON: FIGHTING FIRE!"

A mud golem rose out of the ground, it's surface body sporting a thin sheet of flame.

"Well, go ahead. You know what to do."

The Golem charged.

"Team, target the golem while I go after him!"

"Hai!"

They went through another set of coordinated handseals, this time longer.

"COMBO JUTSU: SEQUENCE 43!"

The amazing combination technique consisted of a KATON, a FUTON, and a RAITON. Jiraiya was impressed, but had no time to comment since Senzao had engaged him a Kenjutsu spar. His golem took the combo head on, but was still standing.

In fact, the flame armor was raging. The golem immediately rolled into a ball and rocketed towards the ROOT ninja.

They sidestepped the spinning ball of flaming death, and each one of them went through the same hand seals.

"SUITON: WATERFALL CASCADE!"

Jiraiya appeared in front of the golem, having successfully replaced himself with a clone to distract Senzao, and did some quick seals.

"DOTON: HIGHER MUD WALL!"

The three jets of water were stopped solidly by his jutsu, and the flame armor remained intact.

"We can't beat him like this. We'll run out of chakra if we keep firing jutsu after jutsu. A fight of attrition is something we cannot win against him." Senzao thought hurriedly.

"It's time for drastic measures. This works or it doesn't."

"Team! SEQUENCE 666!"

"Hai!"

All of them immediately rushed Jiraiya, their blades out.

"Hn. They're going for the finish?" Jiraiya thought.

He was engaged in a ruthless kenjutsu spar with three members of ROOT, but he was still effortlessly fighting back. Suddenly, one of them jumped high. The other two slashed across his abdomen, only for them to be blocked by his broadsword.

That left his top open.

"Nope, it didn't."

Jiraiya immediately jumped up, pushing his weapon towards the ground.

The falling ROOT didn't expect this. He bought his sword down.

A ball of fierce chakra formed in Jiraiya's hand.

"RASENGAN!"

He shredded through the sword and the man.

His golem smashed into one of the ROOT on the ground, while the other one managed to dodge.

"Two down, you imbeciles."

He dropped beside his golem.

"You can't beat me and my golem at the same time."

"We know. RELEASE!" Senzao shouted, making a seal.

The golem exploded, effectively blowing Jiraiya with it.

"Yeah, good try."

Jiraiya ran out of the explosion, his hair singed a bit, but otherwise fine.

Oh, and he had two rasengans ready.

He buried his foot into the ground, and pointed towards the ROOT, who were dashing towards him, swords out.

"RASENNON!"

The rasengans shot out of his hands like cannons, and went through their bodies at an incredible speed.

Senzao's eyes were still wide as he fell backwards.

Was this for Konoha?

"Fuck. That was kinda close. ROOT is better trained than I thought."

"FUCK!" he sensed a couple chakras approaching.

"Iwa. Need to work fast."

He promptly burned all the ROOT bodies and vanished with a pop and a poof of smoke.

In his safehouse, Jiraiya got the memories back.

He grinned. He had a report to make.


	7. Second Author's Note

Second author's note

Reply to a review by Burkinator

Hey, thanks for the review, mate!

Yeah, I have this habit of cramming a lot of stuff into a short chapter and not elaborating more. I'll have to take care of plot chunks and loose ends because I did next to no planning for this fic. This is one of my first fics, and I'm just now realizing it's not very easy to keep track of a story.

About the Rasennon, your suggestion makes sense. If it was that fast, that would be too OP. I've gone back and edited chapter 6, to make the speed more reasonable. The 'speed of sound' phrase was written as an impulse, and I had just imagined the Rasennon to be extremely fast, like a shotgun.

Right now, Naruto is about one and a half years old. Jiraiya stayed in the village for four months after the Kyuubi attack, and trained for an year at Myobokuzan. A long time, I know, but it is essential for the skill tier I'm going to show Jiraiya at.

Finally, thank you for the praise. It lifted my spirits to know that people like my writing. I have been going through some tough times in life, and university, as usual, is bullshit.

Cheesecake out.


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